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Varieties of Buddhist nationalism: Divergent actors, narratives, and alliances in Myanmar

The rise of Buddhist nationalism in Myanmar—especially after the communal violence between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State—has attracted significant attention from local and international observers. Movements such as the 969 campaign and the Patriotic Association of Myanmar (MaBaTha) became central to analyses of anti‑Muslim mobilisation and nationalist violence. Yet several analysts often treat the MaBaTha as a monolithic entity, focusing largely on the anti-Rohingya narrative and conflict, which overlooks that Buddhist nationalist groups also target non‑Rohingya Muslims, Christians, and Chinese communities. Furthermore, research often centres on Ma Ba Tha, a monk-led organisation, but parallel groups—including other monastic networks and lay associations, such as the Wunthanu Rakkhita Association—represent separate entities with their own structures and agendas and have been largely overlooked.

Since Myanmar’s political transition in 2012, the politicisation of religion has become prominent, with political leaders instrumentalising Buddhism to achieve their aims. At the same time, the religionisation of politics has occurred, as Buddhist clergy use politics to advance religious goals. These dynamics reinforced one another and paved the way for Buddhist nationalist groups to work with the military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), thereby constraining the country’s democratisation process. In addition, various Buddhist nationalist groups have enjoyed broad public support not just because of their anti-Muslim activism but also due to their social-service activities and efforts to promote Buddhism.

This seminar would focus that religious nationalist groups in Myanmar are heterogeneous in their targets, identity-building, and the way they imagine the nation, although anti-Muslim narratives serve as a convenient lingua franca among them. Analysing these groups solely through an anti-Muslim lens obscures both the reasons for their popularity in Buddhist society and the internal fractures among them. The analysis draws on a PhD project on the Buddhist nationalist movement in Myanmar, which includes 65 key informant interviews with monks, nuns, nationalist groups, interfaith groups, journalists, and civil society groups, as well as documents collected between May 2025 and March 2026.

Speakers

Tay Zar Myo Win is a PhD candidate at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University, Australia. His doctoral research examines Buddhist religious nationalism and radicalisation in Myanmar, drawing on extensive fieldwork and qualitative interviews. He previously served as a lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science, Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand (January 2022 – May 2023). His research interests include democratisation, governance, federalism, social conflict, and human rights in Myanmar. Beyond academia, Tay Zar has extensive experience in development practice, particularly in civic education, democracy, and electoral support. In collaboration with civil society organisations and international NGOs in Myanmar, he contributed to the development of civic education curricula for both young students and adult learners and coordinated numerous training programs and workshops.

Chair

Zaw Yadanar Hein, zaw.hein@anu.edu.au

The ANU Myanmar Research Centre Dialogue Series is a conversation concerning current research on Myanmar aimed at providing scholars with an opportunity to present their work, try out an idea, advance an argument and critically engage with other researchers. International and Myanmar researchers from any discipline are invited to contribute. The Dialogue Series is particularly seeking to provide a space for early career researchers wishing to receive constructive feedback. Each dialogue is one hour long, including a 30-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute Q&A. As a hybrid series, the Dialogues are presented in both virtual and in-person format, hosted by the ANU Myanmar Research Centre.

Image by Dave Hopkins

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